Sci-Tech news

• Twitter acts to curb 'abusive,' 'hateful' content

  29-12-2015 23:56
  
  Twitter said Tuesday it was taking new steps to stem "abusive behavior and hateful conduct" on the global messaging platform.
  
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• 'Pre-historic' animal shell found in Argentina

  29-12-2015 23:56
  
  A passer-by on Christmas Day found a meter-long shell on a riverbank in Argentina which may be from a glyptodont, a prehistoric kind of giant armadillo, experts said Tuesday.
  
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• End of the road for rideshare operator Sidecar

  29-12-2015 23:55
  
  Sidecar, a ridesharing operator that sought to compete against bigger rivals Uber and Lyft, announced Tuesday it was shutting down its service on December 31.
  
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• Twitter Tightens Rules on 'Hateful Conduct'

  29-12-2015 23:10 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Twitter has clarified its definition of abusive behavior that will prompt it to delete accounts.
  
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• 5 Apps to Help With Your New Year's Resolutions

  29-12-2015 21:06 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Whether it's quitting something or gaining a new skill, these apps will help.
  
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• Facebook Lawsuit Against Fugitive's Lawyers Tossed Out

  29-12-2015 20:55 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Ceglia claimed a 50 percent stake in the social media company but federal prosecutors later deemed the contract a forgery.
  
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• Apple wins holiday race as screen sizes grow, survey says

  29-12-2015 20:38
  
  Apple came away the winner in mobile device holiday sales worldwide amid a shift to bigger screens, a survey showed.
  
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• ORNL cell-free protein synthesis is potential lifesaver

  29-12-2015 20:34
  
  Lives of soldiers and others injured in remote locations could be saved with a cell-free protein synthesis system developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
  
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• Geomorphic impact of the flooding caused by tropical storm Lee in September 2011

  29-12-2015 20:32
  
  In their article for Geosphere, R. Craig Kochel and colleagues discuss the geomorphic impact of the flooding caused Tropical Storm Lee in September 2011 on several large watersheds of the Susquehanna River in the Appalachian Plateau region of north-central Pennsylvania. Unlike many Appalachian floods, the physical impacts to channels and floodplains were extensive.
  
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• 6 Stunning Moments and Feats in Space Exploration This Year

  29-12-2015 20:32 via abcnews.go.com
  
  From new discoveries about other planets to Scott Kelly's year-long stay at the International Space Station, here's a look at seven of the most impressive moments.
  
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• Samsung Wants Its TVs to Control Your Smarthome

  29-12-2015 20:09 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  You'll be able to do a lot more with your Samsung television next year.
  
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• Hoverboards: Ban won't stop the wheels

  29-12-2015 20:02 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Richard Bulliet: The self-balancing vehicles that are fast becoming a craze are illegal in the United Kingdom and banned in New York City, but here to stay.
  
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• Russia to Rewrite Space Program as Economic Crisis Bites

  29-12-2015 19:48 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Russia is to revise its space program, the national agency said after a newspaper published a report that billions of dollars of cuts may be afoot.
  
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• French companies tapped to study Nile dam project

  29-12-2015 19:22
  
  Two French engineering companies were chosen Tuesday to carry out environmental impact studies on Ethiopia's planned Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile River, at a meeting in the Sudanese capital.
  
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• DuPont moves ahead on job cuts ahead of Dow merger

  29-12-2015 19:22
  
  DuPont will cut 1,700 jobs in its home state of Delaware and thousands more globally as it prepares for its merger with Dow Chemical.
  
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• Methane Leak Displaces Thousands in California

  29-12-2015 18:55 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  It could still be months before a California utility is able to plug the leak that has driven up the state's methane emissions and driven families from their homes.
  
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• Reptile fossils offer clues about elevation history of Andes Mountains

  29-12-2015 18:30
  
  On an arid plateau in the Andes Mountains of southern Bolivia, a Case Western Reserve University researcher flagged what turned out to be the fossil remains of a tortoise nearly five feet long—a find indicating this highland was likely less than a kilometer above sea level 13 million years ago.
  
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• New approach provides images of single cell with micrometer resolution via contrast based on cell's thermal properties

  29-12-2015 18:30
  
  Thermal properties of cells regulate their ability to store, transport or exchange heat with their environment. So gaining control of these properties is of great interest for optimizing cryopreservation—the process of freezing and storing blood or tissues, which is also used when transporting organs for transplants.
  
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• NASA looks at deadly weather over the US

  29-12-2015 18:27
  
  NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM mission core satellite analyzed extreme weather that affected the U.S. over the course of five days. Heavy rainfall, flooding and tornado outbreaks affected areas of the United States from the Southwest through the Midwest from Dec. 23, 2015 to Dec. 27, 2015.
  
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• Spotify hit with $150 million copyright suit

  29-12-2015 18:26
  
  An artist has filed a $150 million lawsuit against Spotify, alleging that the leader of the streaming sector has knowingly reproduced copyrighted songs.
  
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• Modeling Amazonian transitional forest micrometeorology

  29-12-2015 18:15
  
  What can mathematical modeling teach us about the micrometeorology of the southern Amazonian 'transitional' forest? Quite a lot, it turns out. This particular forest is located between the rain forest of the Amazon Basin and the tropical Brazilian Savanna, so it plays a crucial role in both regional and global biogeochemical cycling.
  
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• Improving accuracy in genomic mapping with time-series data

  29-12-2015 18:13
  
  If you already have the sequenced map of an organism's genome but want to look for structural oddities in a sample, you can check the genomic barcode—a series of distances between known, targeted sites—by cutting a DNA sequence at those sites and examining the distance between the cuts. However, if the original map—obtained through next-generation sequencing involving PCR—contains any amplification biases, there is room for systematic error across studies. To remedy this,
  
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• Video: The chemistry of hangovers

  29-12-2015 18:10
  
  It's almost New Year's Eve, and many will be ringing in 2016 with champagne, wine, beer and cocktails. But for those who overindulge, the next day is accompanied by another tradition: the New Year's Day hangover.
  
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• Robot Mule Put Out to Pasture by Marine Corps

  29-12-2015 17:50 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  The massive robotic mule developed by Boston Dynamics has been shelved by the U.S. Marine Corps.
  
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• Watch: Ashley Madison Claims Membership Increased Since Data Breach

  29-12-2015 17:24 via abcnews.go.com
  
  The popular adult site that caters towards extramarital activity says it saw increased usage even after user accounts were leaked online.
  
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• How Google Is Learning From Past Mistakes With New Version of Glass

  29-12-2015 16:49 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Nearly one year after Google pulled sales of of its consumer version of Google Glass, the search giant is back with new plans for a second edition of the eye wear.
  
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• New half-meter record for quantum superposition at macroscopic level

  29-12-2015 16:40
  
  (Phys.org)—A team of researchers working at Stanford University has extended the record for quantum superposition at the macroscopic level, from 1 to 54 centimeters. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the team describes the experiment they conducted, their results and also discuss what their findings might mean for researchers looking to find the cutoff point between superposition as it applies to macroscopic objects versus those that only exist at the quantum level. Nature ha
  
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• How to get started with home automation

  29-12-2015 16:40
  
  If you're not, shall we say, technically inclined, the idea of using home automation might seem out of this world. But the good news is, there's a variety of gadgets and gizmos on the market to help even the least tech-savvy person live in a smart home.
  
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• Fitbit shares jump on first sign of healthy holiday sales

  29-12-2015 16:20
  
  Shares of Fitbit Inc. climbed after the fitness-tracking device-maker saw its first sign of strong Christmas sales.
  
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• Skulls in ancient cemetery on Vanuatu suggest Polynesians as first settlers

  29-12-2015 16:17
  
  (Phys.org)—A small team of researchers from France and Australia has found evidence in a very old cemetery (first discovered back in 2004) on one of the islands of Vanuatu that suggests that early Asians and Polynesians were the first human settlers, not Melanesians as many have suggested. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes how the question of the origin of the people of the Pacific Islands has confounded visitors from the west s
  
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• Tech outlook for 2016

  29-12-2015 16:10
  
  Virtual reality, connected cars, e-sports, the on-demand economy - all are becoming important elements in the Southland economy, and all are poised for rapid growth in 2016 - along with some challenges. And then there's Snapchat Inc., based in Venice, and one of the most highly valued companies currently competing in the latest venture-capital-juiced start-up cycle, which many believe is way overheated.
  
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• 'Millennium physicist' ready to take helm at nuclear center

  29-12-2015 15:59
  
  Fabiola Gianotti, who this week takes the helm at CERN—home to world's largest particle accelerator, is seen as a new breed of scientist. Initially trained in arts and literature, she came to physics relatively late. She enjoys cooking, jogging, music and keeping her eye on the news, and notes the importance of being "a citizen of the world."
  
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• Penn State helps the Navy learn 'the art of the possible'

  29-12-2015 15:50
  
  Its scientists have developed "anti-torpedos" - seafaring interceptors akin to Patriot missiles.
  
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• PRO as a sustainable energy production system is crippled by biofouling

  29-12-2015 15:28
  
  Researchers at the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Yale University have determined that pressure-retarded osmosis technology is not feasible primarily due to biofouling (the accumulation of organic material as well as different organisms such as algae and bacteria on various surfaces that impairing structures and hinder system performance).
  
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• High-throughput evaluation of synthetic metabolic pathways

  29-12-2015 15:28
  
  A central challenge in the field of metabolic engineering is the efficient identification of a metabolic pathway genotype that maximizes specific productivity over a robust range of process conditions. A review from researchers at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI covers the challenges of optimizing specific productivity of metabolic pathways in cells and new advances in pathway creation and screening.
  
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• In race stereotypes, issues are not so black and white, study finds

  29-12-2015 15:26
  
  Recent race-related events in Ferguson, Mo., St. Louis, Baltimore, Chicago, Charleston, S.C., and New York City—all point to the continuing need to study and understand race relations in modern America. These events show how race and stereotypes are intertwined and can lead to explosive situations and protests.
  
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• Scientists unveil social and telepresence robots

  29-12-2015 15:23
  
  Say hello to Nadine, a "receptionist" at Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore). She is friendly, and will greet you back. Next time you meet her, she will remember your name and your previous conversation with her.
  
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• Need a good password? Here's help from a sixth-grader

  29-12-2015 15:22
  
  It's cheaper than a couple of subway rides, more powerful than almost any hacker (except maybe the NSA). And, if you think about it, not so hard to remember.
  
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• The top 101 astronomical events for 2016

  29-12-2015 15:21
  
  Here it is… our year end look at upcoming events in a sky near you. This is not a top 10 listicle, and not a full-fledged almanac, but hopefully, something special and unique in between. And as always, some of the events listed will be seen by a large swath of humanity, while others grace the hinterlands and may well go unrecorded by human eyes. We'll explain our reasoning for drilling down each category, and give a handy list of resources at the end.
  
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• El Nino winter is here, above average precipitation expected

  29-12-2015 15:20
  
  For months now, weather forecasters have been talking about a Godzilla El Niño. Even though most New Mexicans have enjoyed a fairly mild fall, make no mistake, an El Niño winter is here. The question now becomes, how much moisture will it generate over the course of the winter months?
  
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• New arachnids living in symbiosis with birds

  29-12-2015 15:18
  
  A research team involving a WA scientist have determined that a citizen of a bustling bird metropolis in South Africa is actually a new type of miniscule arachnid.
  
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• Amazon rainforests could transition to savannah-like states in response to climate change, new study predicts

  29-12-2015 15:18
  
  By the end of this century, as climate continues to warm, dry seasons could become longer and more intense in the Amazon region. Droughts could become more commonplace. But the fate of the Amazon forest—home to around 300 billion trees, and crucial to the Earth's water and carbon cycle—in this drier future remains largely uncertain.
  
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• Week-long Spanish wildfires extinguished as rain comes to rescue

  29-12-2015 15:08
  
  After a week-long battle against more than 200 wildfires that ravaged northern Spain, local authorities and rescue services announced Tuesday that long-awaited rainfall had helped extinguish the blazes.
  
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• Beijing pollution soars but no red alert

  29-12-2015 15:07
  
  Parts of China's capital Beijing suffered air pollution more than 20 times recommended levels on Tuesday, but authorities refrained from issuing the highest smog alert.
  
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• Hoax Tricks Facebook Users Vying for Zuckerberg's Shares

  29-12-2015 14:20 via abcnews.go.com
  
  People are posting messages in the hopes of getting 10 percent of his donations.
  
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• The Biggest Flops in Technology in 2015

  29-12-2015 13:16 via abcnews.go.com
  
  The road to success includes plenty of stumbles.
  
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• Fin24.com | WATCH: This R300 000 hoverboard really flies

  29-12-2015 13:14
  
  A device called the ‘ArcaBoard’ - which looks clunky in form-factor - has 272 horsepower and promises a hover time of up to six minutes for riders
  
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• Five key findings from 15 years of the International Space Station

  29-12-2015 13:00
  
  The International Space Station is the longest-running continuously inhabited human outpost in space – this year it celebrated its 15th anniversary. As the ISS orbits the Earth it is essentially in a state of free fall, counteracting the Earth's gravity and providing an ideal platform for science in space.
  
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• SOFIA completes busy year, highlights of 2015

  29-12-2015 12:50
  
  2015 was an exciting year for NASA's flying observatory, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA. By flying at altitudes of more than 40,000 feet, above more than 99% of the water vapor in Earth's atmosphere, SOFIA can make observations with its 2.5-meter diameter infrared telescope and crew of pilots and scientists that no other current ground or space observatory can.
  
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• Movie pirates break records for stolen previews of latest Hollywood movies

  29-12-2015 12:50
  
  Hollywood has broken two very different records this holiday season. Star Wars: The Force Awakens has become the first movie to reach US $1 billion in gross sales in just 12 days. This beats the previous record of the movie "Jurassic World" which had the additional benefit of sales from the world's second biggest market, China. Star Wars opens in China in January and so it will likely push its sales to even more astronomical levels.
  
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